Bright Minds Scholarships

Investing in the Higher Education of California’s Next Generation

Higher education drives much of what makes California great – innovation, diversity and opportunity. To give the next generation of Californians the chance to learn and succeed in higher education, PG&E presents aspiring young people in our service area with Bright Minds scholarships.

Program Overview

Each year, through the Bright Minds scholarship program, PG&E awards ten renewable scholarships of up to $20,000 per year for up to five years and 90 one-time $2,000 scholarships. Over the past three years, PG&E has awarded nearly $3 million in Bright Minds scholarships to high school and current college students and veterans, many of whom will be the first in their family to attend college.

The program has become increasingly competitive, with thousands of applicants each year. The scholarship is open to all majors but a preference is given to students in STEM majors. In selecting scholarship recipients, PG&E looks for students who:

Demonstrate academic achievement

Have a financial need (students are required to apply to FAFSA

Exhibit personal or community leadership

However, those attributes are not required. To apply, candidates must simply meet all of the following criteria:

Be a minimum of 16 years of age and be a high school senior or graduate, have received GED certification or be a current postsecondary undergraduate student

Live within the PG&E service area

Plan to enroll in full-time undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school for the entire 2015-2016 academic year